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Del Bosque: Spain deserve semi spot

Vicente del Bosque was pleased with Spain's 2-0 win over France in their Euro 2012 quarter-final on Saturday.

Speaking after a game which saw France restricted to a single shot on target, the Spanish coach echoed his players' sentiments that the title holders deservedly reached the semi-finals following another outing where they had limited chances at goal despite dominating the encounter.

"I do not think the result is undeserved because France did not have a proper goalscoring opportunity. We were in control most of the time," Del Bosque said.

Xabi Alonso opened the scoring with a free header after just 19 minutes, before sealing the victory with a penalty in injury time after Anthony Reveillere had fouled Pedro.

Defender Gerard Pique conceded his team-mates were relieved after Alonso's early goal after it became apparent that Laurent Blanc had set out his team to sit back.

"We expected France to play defensively. The first goal made our task easier. We really felt more at ease afterwards."

Xavi also provided a similar take on the match, highlighting how Spain deprived the French side of any clear-cut chances.

"We really controlled the game well. France had almost no goal-scoring opportunity, which is a sign of our good organisation and solidarity."